The Blood Knight’s Villains

My Villains Episode 153

39. Uninvited Guest (2)

The dusk has spread from the west.

The son-in-law was getting dark, but the small estate at the bottom of the mountain was still awake.

The soldiers on the wooden fence were holding torches early on, and the tavern and blacksmith’s were also lit up with lights. The tanner finishing the work, the worker locking the warehouse, and the peddlers arranging the stalls were also holding lanterns one by one.

The Yeongju Hall was also busy.

Since most of the older maids and male servants were sent to the garrison at the gate, only the young maids were the ones who revealed the lord’s residence.

Five or six girls hurriedly stepped in and lit candlesticks. The soldiers and vassals also added their hands as if it seemed lacking hands.

Dionea and I arrived at the lord’s hall when the lord’s hall was belatedly lit.

On the ceiling of the spacious hall, an iron chandelier that bloomed like a morning glory scattered lights in all directions. The first thing that greeted us under the lights was a pair of men and women.

“Sir Phoenix, Baroness.”

“…Simos?”

Simos, a female swordsman with one eye, and Ethan, a boy magician.

When I entered Longville a few days ago, I entrusted my horse, Spotted, to Sea Moss and Ethan. With the order to lure the Anupad army and flee to the mountain hut.

“How did you come? The surroundings must still be troubled.”

“Thanks to Atilia joining us, we arrived safely.”

“Attilia?”

At those words, I turned to the people gathered in the hall.

On the side of the chair of the ringed cross, the six retainers of the author Agni Nam were gathered, and on the other side, seven visitors were waiting for Dionea.

The most notable among the visitors was a man in his late twenties. He was sitting at a table in the center of the hall, wearing a purple velvet vest and a luxurious green coat. He was chubby and short, but his white face was rather handsome.

I watched him and whispered to Simos.

“Is that him?”

“…Who are you talking about?”

“The man sitting there alone. I heard he was the count’s son or something.”

“Ah yes. I am Doyle Mullin, second son of Count Tristan.”

It’s Doyle Mullin.

Behind him stood three men, each wearing plate armor and chain mail, a puffy green bliaud.

Come to think of it, the one wearing the chain armor was none other than Sir Killian. Why is that man hanging out over there?

I cast a questioning glance, but Sir Killian, who met my eyes, slightly turned his head away.

A short distance from them stood three people. They were all dressed as nude people. Two were old men wrapped in black cloaks, and the other was a young woman.

Arm guards made of steel scales, tight leather armor, short pants that exposed the thighs, and leather boots that covered the shins… It was Atalanta, a beauty with golden eyes.

Atalanta, who was standing with a stiff face, noticed me and widened her eyes. She was about to open her mouth as if to say hello, but shut her mouth again when she looked into the eyes of the elderly people who had come with her.

Um, I don’t look good for some reason. For what?

As my gaze turned around the hall, Dione, who had been standing still, opened her mouth.

“Are they people you know?”

“ah. yes ma’am We were in the same group, but we had been separated for a while to come to Long Bar.”

“okay.”

Dionea smiled at Simos and Ethan.

“If you are a friend of Lord Phoenix, you are also my friend. Do you have something to say?”

“No, madam. We just came to find a party.”

“okay. If you want, I will give you another room, so you can stay there.”

At Dionea’s words, Simos glanced in my direction. I nodded, and she and Ethan left the hall, escorted by the maid.

As Dionea moved toward the ringed cross chair, I stood next to Chester, the training leader, and asked in a low voice.

“Guest, are those seven the end?”

“Yes sir.”

Chester continued, covering his mouth pretending to brush his beard.

“Except for the escorts waiting outside, that’s it.”

“What did you come for?”

“I do not know. He didn’t even open his mouth.”

The second son of the count, who was drinking at the table, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Long time no see, ma’am. You look more beautiful with each passing year.” Dionea hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the ring-crossed chair and returned.

“…Hello, Confucius Doyle.”

“I waited quite a while. You must have been very busy.”

“Because of an unexpected guest.”

Doyle smiled and raised his glass. Then the maid standing in the corner quickly came over and filled the glass.

“I understand. No matter how small the territory is, ruling it is not something a young widow can handle.”

Hearing his words, Herald Tollamey took a step forward.

“Longville is not a small estate, and you are not a widow. Confucius, refrain from talking.”

“…don’t talk?”

Doyle laughed and looked back.

“Sir Eselda.”

“Yes, Confucius.”

It was only when I heard that voice that I realized that the knight in plate armor was a woman.

“If that cheeky old man opens his mouth again, slap him straight away.”

“…you mean slapping?”

“Yeah, it’s a slap.”

The mature female knight, who appeared to be in her mid-to-late 40s, twitched her eyebrows for a moment before closing her mouth. He chewed up Doyle’s words.

…so cool.

I became interested again and took a closer look at the article called ‘Sir Eselda’.

The plate armor she was wearing was not an imitation, but a proper item. Like the armor of Prince Ulkar and his knights, it means a luxury item produced at the ‘Royal Dormena Armor Workshop’.

She stood with her helm at her side and her legs shoulder-width apart. At first glance, she was very tall for a woman with a well-trained body and had long limbs.

Sharp eyes, angular chin, nose bridge curved in the shape of a lightning bolt, short gray hair, and flattened ears exposed underneath… In short, she

was a scary-looking woman who looked like she could use a knife.

“This is ‘Beautiful’ Sir Eselda.”

“…beautiful?”

In response to my question, the training leader, Chester, straightened his beard.

“That’s an old nickname.”

“aha. You must be famous, right?”

“yes. In the Marva region, there is no one who does not know.”

Chester glanced sideways at Sir Eselda and continued to whisper.

“He is a master of hand-to-hand combat with more than 50 knights defeated in a duel.”

“…an article?”

I couldn’t hear Chester’s answer. All in all, it was because Doil’s silence ended at that time.

“I feel it every time, but the wine here really sucks.”

He frowned and set the glass down. He had no way of knowing if he really didn’t like the wine or if he was angry with Sir Eselda for ignoring his orders.

Doyle clicked his tongue and gestured toward the maid.

“hey! If you have cider or mead instead of wine, bring me some.” Well, I can’t do anything about it. Why do you come to someone else’s house and act like the owner, you bastard?

“ah. I see, ma’am.”

“…Yes, Confucius.”

“I saw mercenaries on the way. It looks like they are kicked out of the manor.”

“I didn’t get kicked out. There is a security problem, so I only recommended that you leave.”

“this.”

Doyle shook his head as if he was sorry, and said in a worried tone.

“Even if the words are the same, words spoken with the authority of the lord have different weights. Even if what your wife did is a recommendation, it will feel like an expulsion to the mercenaries.”

“It doesn’t matter if you feel that way. We will give them reasonable compensation through a certain process.”

“It is a fair reward.”

When Doyle smiled, Dionea’s face hardened.

“I want to know what your business is here for.”

“Oh, I see.”

When he made a small gesture, a middle-aged man with a goatee in a baggy blio stepped out. He bowed to Dionea and opened his mouth.

“It is an honor to meet you, ma’am. My name is ‘Hepin’, Count Tristan’s messenger.”

“Nice to meet you, Hepin.”

Lion Hepin put his hand on his chest with a sad light on his face.

“The Count expressed his deep condolences for the disaster that occurred in Longville. Clarissa, the only daughter of the Count, decided to fast and pray for two days for the well-being of the good people living in Longville.”

Dionea’s face softened slightly at Hepin’s polite attitude.

“thank you. That’s a huge relief. Please convey my gratitude to the count and the princess.”

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to deliver the Okeum. Oops and.”

As if he had forgotten, he pulled out a roll of parchment from his bosom. Dionea, who received the scroll through Chester, opened it with a puzzled expression.

“What is this?”

“This is a document for changing the contracting party.”

“…a contract?”

“yes. If you sign the paperwork, part of the debt owed by the husband during his lifetime will be forgiven.”

After hearing that, Dionea, who read the scroll, put on a confused expression for a moment.

“This is this… what the hell is this all about? The amount of debt”

“…Oh dear. I guess you didn’t know.”

Lion Hepin brushed his goatee with a troubled expression.

“There is no way that Baron Mallory would have arbitrarily decided on such an important matter.”

As he muttered, he glanced sideways at the vassals of Longville. While everyone was confused, one old woman sighed deeply. It was Selma, the butler of Baron Agni.

“…Selma. Do you know anything?”

“Madam…

Selma approached Dionea with slow steps and whispered in her ear. As I listened quietly, I heard a small voice clearly.

“…For this hunting festival, the baron owes you.”

“How much?”

“That’s…

“Come on Selma.”

“…One thousand gold coins equals five thousand silver coins.”

“oh my god.”

crazy me too oh my god I asked where did you get that much money in this little barony, and it was all debt?

Dionea, whose face had turned pale, asked again with a more hesitant tone.

“How much money do you have left right now?”

“There are no gold coins, three hundred silver coins are all.”

“…What about the property of the estate?”

“Less than that, madam.”

At Selma’s assertion, Dionea tightly closed her eyes.

“Then what should I do now’?”

“You have to hold on, madam. Say you will pay it back if you give it time.”

“What if I hold out? Is there any way to pay it back?”

“Yes.”

“how?”

“…I’ll tell you about that later.”

Apparently, that old woman knows about the gold mine.

Going back in memory, the place where Akanku Karamek opened the rift was inside the gold mine. To be precise, it was the end of the gold mine at the top of Mount Graduil.

Simos said that the profitability would be ridiculously high because of the large nuggets of pure gold scattered here and there. If my guess is true, I’ll be able to extract a few thousand gold coins in no time.

It must have been in that context that the butler Selma insisted that she somehow endure.

Dionea, who was staring at Selma, nodded. As the old butler withdrew, Dionea looked back at Hepin the lion.

“What if I sign these papers?”

“It is as I said before. All interest on the debt will be forgiven, so you only have to pay the principal.”

“…what if I don’t sign?”

“oh. Horrible words…

With a surprised look on his face, Hepin spoke in a low voice.

“It is a great disgrace as a noble to betray the contract. Furthermore, Baron Mallory is a lord and a vassal of Count Tristan. In a master-servant relationship, breaking the contract is a clear betrayal. You will face the wrath of your lord, the Count, as well as legal disadvantages and criticism from everyone, regardless of rank or rank.” Dionea kept her mouth shut at Hepin’s words, which were calm but in fact threatened. Dark green eyes were busy flipping through papers, but they didn’t seem to be doing much.

“As you may have noticed through the content and format, this document was prepared after seeking advice from various lawyers in Multingham. Oh, of course, the author is Prince Jeremiah, the judge of Marva. You must be a scholar who served as a Supreme Court judge in the royal capital…

…but that man’s tongue is a bit long, isn’t it? what?

I couldn’t stand the frustration at the sight of Dionea fiddling with her signet ring, so I eventually stepped forward.

“Madam, may I take a look?”

“…Sir Phoenix?”

Dionea looked at me unexpectedly. After making eye contact, she closed her mouth and nodded.

“…Lord Phoenix?”

The Count’s second son, Doyle, who was sipping a glass of wine, showed interest in me for the first time.

“Wonder ‘that’ Sir Phoenix?”

“…what is ‘that’ Sir Phoenix?”

“A bloody swordsman. A knight of Prince Ulkar.”

Approaching Dionea, I nodded roughly as I was handed over the documents.

“you’re right. I am the Phoenix.”

“As expected haha-!”

After knocking on the table and laughing, Doyle turned to his subordinates and pointed at me.

“Ha ha! I also recognized it at a glance! I was looking at it because I thought it was not unusual at first glance. Indeed, he was the enemy knight of the silver prince!”

Examining the scroll, it was written that the debtor, Baron Malorie, had a cause of death, so the contract was to be handed over to Dionea.

The creditor, as before, is Count Tristan.

“I was impressed by the story about you. The eight-legged witch and the leader of the bandits also had their head cut off by your sword, the creeping dragon?”

Looking at it again, I was able to notice something strange without difficulty. The entire content of the previous contract was included in a document with the simple purpose of changing the parties involved in the contract.

“I heard what happened today. To chase away the tough mercenaries at once. It’s a pity you missed the great spectacle.”

Why did you do such a bothersome thing?

It would be sufficient to write down the justification for contract change and the period of application of the grounds, and the content would be ‘same as the previous contract’.

“Multingham’s knights are all frustrating people, so if you’re listening to your exciting performance,”

“Let’s look at the original.”

Doyle frowned at his words, but I ignored him and flapped the scroll at Hepin.

“Can’t you hear me? Let’s look at the original.”

Lion Hepin narrowed his brows while stroking his goatee.

“…I’m sorry, but the Lord has no right to make such a request. Isn’t Kyeong an outsider? Even seeing the document in the first place could be a problem.”

“Is that so?”

I asked Dionea politely.

“As a proud knight and your wife’s servant, I want to protect you. Will you accept the request?”

“Uh… Dionea’s pupils shook violently as if she was taken aback for a moment. His pale skin turned red in the flickering light.

“I am *kehehe*.”

Dionea cleared her throat three or four times and nodded.

“Keuheum…. I will accept your penis request. Uh- I’m willing.”

“Thank you, madam.”

After politely bowing, I left the blushing Dionea behind and looked back at Hepin.

“Now you are ‘My lady’. Now show me the original.” ′′ Hunger…

He Pin, who was laughing in vain as if he was full of hunger, shook his head.

“Unfortunately, the original contract is at Multingham. It is not here.”

A guy like this dog.

I swallowed my curse and looked back at the old butler.

“Then may I see the contract that Baron Selma Mallory received?” She closed her mouth and looked around for a moment. Selma brought the contract from somewhere only after Dionea gave her a wink.

I opened two rolls of parchment and carefully compared them. As I rolled my eyeballs to the point where my head ran hot, I could notice that one word had changed.

“Ha really.”

He must have put up a smoke screen to hide this one word, whether it was because he was talking at length or because he filled the scroll tightly.

“X-arms, these swindlers.”

The voice must have been a bit loud, so the people gathered in the hall looked back at me in amazement. He shrugged and smiled.

“I was talking to myself.”

Then he gestured towards the lion Hepin.

“Come over here and have a look. There is something strange about the contract.”

“…You mean the strange part?”

“Because the principal and interest repayment period has been reduced from 5 years to 5 months? Anyone who sees this will get it wrong. It’s a petty, low-quality scam.”

To my sarcastic remarks, Hepin answered calmly without blinking an eye.

“It is misleading. But look at the article below. It will be written that the principal and interest repayment period can be adjusted under mutual agreement.”

“Is this an agreement? Wouldn’t it be common sense to explain the changes to the contract to the other party?”

“Is that so? It’s common knowledge I’ve never heard of.” It must have been deliberate and deceitful from the start.

I was contemplating whether I could pull out his teeth, but Hepin continued.

“And there are good reasons for the reduced repayment period.”

“…a good reason?”

“yes. Didn’t the debtor change from Baron Mallory to his wife?”

“What?”

“Empirically, it is clear that women are less willing to fulfill contracts than men. Therefore, it is relatively common to end the debt relationship quickly by advancing the deadline instead of forgiving the interest.”

Your tongue is getting longer again, you bastard. Besides, this time he’s just talking bullshit.

Not feeling worthy of an answer, I shook my head and handed the document to him.

“All right, go back and tell Count Tristan. They say you can’t stamp this.”

“kyung. Why do you want to ignore the consideration to lift the daunting burden that has rested on your wife?

“… Ha really.”

The heavy burden he was talking about was, of course, Longville itself. Baron Mallory put up the estate as collateral.

“If you’re a messenger, go and tell them.”

“This ruthless-”

I made eye contact with him and forcibly squeezed the papers into my hands.

“The guy who wrote this paper must be a crook, so you better slit his throat right away.”

“What is that?”

“If you want, I’ll help you. I’m an expert in that matter.”

“……Uh uh”

Lion Hepin, who was shaking his legs, knocked on my butt.